Gunmen kill 15‑year‑old herder and kill 13 cattle in Plateau.

The Plateau State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) announced on Saturday that gunmen, believed to be “Berom Militias,” attacked and killed a 15‑year‑old herder named Sadi Aliyu in the Sabon Gidan Kanar community of Jos South Local Government Area.

According to MACBAN state chairman Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the attack took place late on Friday while the victim and other herders were grazing livestock. The incident also resulted in the deaths of 13 cattle and left 11 others missing.

Babayo confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday, saying the assailants stormed the grazing field and opened fire on the herders without provocation. He added that the teenage herder was killed on the spot and several cattle were shot dead during the attack.

“The attack which Berom Militia carried out was unprovoked as there were no previous incidents before then,” the MACBAN chairman said.

“The victim, alongside his colleagues, was rearing cattle when the gunmen attacked them. They killed one herder and 13 cattle, while about 11 cattle are still missing,” Babayo added.

While condemning the attack, Babayo described it as a threat to the fragile peace and security in the state. He decried the continuous targeting of innocent herders and their livestock, calling it unacceptable and a serious threat to peaceful coexistence and security in Plateau State.

The MACBAN chairman said the incident had been reported to the Bukuru B Division of the Nigeria Police Force and Sector 6 of Operation Enduring Peace for investigation and necessary action. He called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack, arrest those responsible and ensure that justice is served.

Babayo also urged governments at all levels to take proactive measures to protect the lives and property of citizens, irrespective of their ethnic background or occupation. He appealed for calm, advising members of the herding community and other affected persons not to take the law into their own hands but to allow security agencies to carry out their responsibilities.

“The association remains committed to peace, dialogue and lawful means of addressing grievances,” he added.

Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the state Police Command and Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) were unsuccessful, as the spokespersons for the police, SP Alfred Alabo and Captain Polycarp Oteh, had yet to respond to enquiries at the time of filing this report.